Late in the Dominion War in 2375, GeneralMartok was honored by ChancellorGowron with the Star of Kahless, who described the general as "the most famous warrior in the Empire." Following the ceremony, Gowron took over Martok's command with the preface that "I can't ask you to carry this weight forever. It's time for me to take a more active role in this war," before announcing that "I'm assuming direct command of our forces." Gowron sugar-coated the demotion by telling Martok to "Be happy. You're a warrior again. No more meetings, no more reports to file. You'll be out there, savoring the heat of battle. I envy you." In reality, according to Worf, this was a political move made by the chancellor because he wished to be the savior of the Empire himself. (DS9: "When It Rains...")

These latter forms of "demotion" are also commonly known as "reversion", but was never explained as such on screen.